Surprises
by krahmogh
Summary: Margaret visit Hawkeye in 1954. Here's Chapter 2. Please R
1. Margaret's arrival

Surprises By Krahmogh  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the M*A*S*H characters. Just the ones I've created. The ones from the show are all owned by Fox.  
1954 Crabapple Cove, Maine  
  
The pretty blond woman stepped out of the rental car and took a long look at the white clapboard house with the wraparound porch before walking up to the front door. Since it was early February, there was snow all over the ground and she thought it was beautiful. She knocked quickly and waited a little impatiently to see if he would answer the door himself. He didn't know she was coming. She didn't want to deliver her news over the phone and a letter would have taken too long to come back to her so she just came in person hoping that he would be happy with what she came to tell him. Suddenly, the door opened and there he was. The man she'd been waiting to see for the past six months. His face got real bright when he saw who was standing on his doorstep and then turned to a look of disbelief before he spoke.  
  
"Margaret?" he said incredulously. "Are you . . . "  
  
"Of course I am. Do you think a person normally gains this much weight in six months for no reason?" she asked with a smile. "So can I come in or should we just stand out here for awhile?"  
  
He shook his head, looked back up to her face and said, "No, no come on in. I'm glad you came. You could have called first, but I do love surprises," he said as he pulled her into his arms for a hug.  
  
"I could have but I just wanted to see you," she told him as he led her to a seat on the sofa. "Plus it took me a couple of months to get over being mad at you for this," she said as she rubbed her stomach. "I finished up with the closing down of the 8063rd and then came back to the States. I was working happily at the base hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco when I realized that Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce was going to be a daddy in a few months. I stayed there until my discharge papers were complete and then I came here. I wanted to see if my friend Hank still remembered his promise to Darlene."  
  
"I will always remember the promise I made to you," he said with a tender smile. "So, will you marry me?"  
  
"Yes, I will, Hawk," she told him as he kissed her. "I came here hoping you would ask me that. I wasn't sure if you would be ok with this after what happened to you after July 4th." Will you be ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I will. I may have to call Sidney from time to time, but I'll be ok. Margaret, I've loved you for over a year now. But, I didn't want to say anything because you were still getting over Donald. I know we spent that last night together in Korea but then I didn't expect to see you again. I am so glad you came here," he kissed her again with all the longing he had felt since he watched her leave the 4077th in that jeep just after the end of the war. "I was just finishing up my lunch; do you need a sandwich or anything? I can only take a few more minutes before Dad will get antsy and come looking for me. We take turns with our lunch breaks so one of us is always in the office between eight and six," he told her as he moved back toward the table where the last of his sandwich was waiting for him.  
  
"Actually, I could use a sandwich. Do you have any peanut butter and jelly? A glass of milk would be nice too. It's one of the few things our baby will allow me to drink without any trouble."  
  
"Has he been giving you a lot of trouble, Margaret? I'm so sorry," he said with a twinkle in his eye as his ate the last bite of his sandwich and moved to the kitchen to make her one and get out the milk. "So, how soon do you thing we should get married? I figure the sooner, the better. I'd like for you to be Mrs. Pierce before the baby makes his appearance."  
  
"Let's talk about that when we have more time and what makes you so sure it's a boy?" she asked curiously as she poured herself a glass of milk after locating the correct cupboard with the glasses.  
  
"Just hopeful I guess. I've always thought a son would be the best thing I could ever give to the world. A daughter would be sweet but I do really hope it's a boy. Okay, here's your sandwich. Go ahead and eat, I've got to get back so Dad can come in here. I'll explain everything so he won't be surprised when he sees you here. You'll be alone for a few minutes. I hope you won't think me rude but Jimmy Sparks has a checkup in five minutes and he's one of my favorite patients. I had the pleasure of delivering him about 5 days after I got home from Korea. Come on over to the clinic with Dad after he eats and I'll show you around," he said as he kissed her again, pulled on his coat and walked out the side door to the clinic.  
  
Margaret sat at the table eating her sandwich and took a good long look at the inside of her fiancé's boyhood home. It was well kept but you could tell that it was home to two men. There were no fancy pillows, blankets or knick-knacks around. She did look carefully at the school pictures of Hawkeye that lined the walls. There was even a family picture of the three of them in which Hawkeye appeared to be around eight or nine years old. His mother had been very pretty and the three of them looked very happy together.  
  
"She was a wonderful woman," said someone standing just behind her. She turned to find an older version of the man she loved standing in front of her. This was Dr. Daniel Pierce. This was the man that Hawkeye spent three years waiting to come back to. The reason he didn't ever want to leave Crabapple Cove again. "So this is the famous Margaret Houlihan. I'm very pleased to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, both from Hawk's letters and from Hawk himself after his return from that awful place. He just gave me the wonderful news of your arrival and the surprising news of your quick engagement. I thought he would at least wait a few hours before he asked but I can see why he didn't," he said as he looked down to her bulging belly."  
  
"Well, I guess he decided to go ahead and propose so that I wouldn't try to run away when he went back to work and left me here to meet you alone," she told him as he led her back down the hall to the kitchen where he went right to work making his own sandwich. "I didn't really come here to impose on you, Dr. Pierce. I just had to see Ben again and let him know about the baby. I wasn't sure if he would welcome me or not but I sure am glad he did. How has he been since he got back? He said his appointment was a baby he delivered right after getting home from Korea. Was he okay?"  
  
Daniel chuckled slightly as he replied, "Delivering little Jimmy has been the best thing that could have happened to Hawk. For the first month, he made Carla bring Jimmy in once a week just so he could see that the baby was still ok. After the fifth visit, I sat him down and told him that if he saw Jimmy in the office the following week, I was going to put in a call to the Army and track down Sidney Freedman to come for a visit. I didn't have to make that call. Hawk took a good look at what he was doing and called Carla to apologize for being so protective of her son. He told her that he saw so many hurt kids in Korea that he guessed it was still affecting him a little. She forgave him and today is Jimmy's second visit since that day."  
  
"I'm glad. He did mention Sidney when we spoke about the baby a few minutes ago. He said he might have to call Sidney. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. I'm sure we can find him if we need to," she said softly remembering the haunted look in his eyes after returning from the psychiatric clinic with Sidney just before the war ended.  
  
"Don't worry, Hawkeye will be just fine. I've watched him with some of the younger patients here in the Cove. He hasn't had any problems other than being a little overprotective of them. So," he said as he stood and set both of their plates in the sink, "would you like the grand tour of the house or should we see if your fiancé is finished with Jimmy's appointment?"  
  
"I think I'd actually like someplace to lie down if that wouldn't be a problem. I flew all the way to Portland from San Francisco and then drove directly up here and your grandchild has been pretty active this morning. I think we both need some rest," she added wearily.  
  
"Why didn't you say so? Of course you can lie down for awhile. I'll show you to Ben's room. The guest room is used for storage unless we're expecting company. We'll have to clean it up tonight. For now just come on up and use his room."  
  
"Thank you Dr. Pierce," she said with a tired smile.  
  
"Please call me Daniel. Sleep as long as you need to. I'll send Ben over when we get a break. I don't think we're too busy this afternoon, just some paperwork to catch up on and I can handle that. You just rest and I'll see you later."  
  
Margaret kicked her shoes off, lay down on Hawkeye's bed, and fell instantly asleep.  
  
She was awakened a few hours later by a light kiss on her lips. She opened her eyes and smiled as he kissed her again. "How long was I asleep?"  
  
"About three hours. I wanted to come back sooner but from what Dad said I figured you were pretty worn out. Do you feel like talking?"  
  
"I do but I'd better make a trip down the hall first. Why don't I meet you in the living room in a few minutes and we'll talk there?" she asked as she sat up and kissed him again.  
  
The kiss went a little deeper than they intended and when they finally broke away, he replied, "Okay, we'll talk some more in the living room." Hawkeye showed Margaret where the bathroom was and then sat down in the living room to wait. His mind kept returning to the fact that he was going to be a father soon. It was all he had thought about since lunch. It made little Jimmy's checkup even more interesting than usual. He kept thinking that in just nine short months his own son or daughter would be the same size that Jimmy is now. He thought about the earlier mention of Sidney Freedman. Maybe he should call Sidney. But, he knew that Sidney would tell him that if he was sane enough to call than he was sane enough to know that he was ok.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts, doctor," she said as she sat down beside him.  
  
"Wow, I was so lost in thought, I didn't even hear you come back in the room. I was just thinking about being a father. But, I want to be a husband first. When do you think we can get married?"  
  
"I was thinking about two weeks from Saturday. That way we have time to invite BJ, Colonel Potter, Charles, Radar, and Klinger if he's back in the States," she told him as he kissed her again and hugged her close.  
  
"Are you sure? You know what a three-ring circus a wedding will be if the guests are the members of the 4077th and the residents of Crabapple Cove? What about your parents? Do you think they will come?"  
  
"My Mom will but Dad won't. He's furious that I got pregnant and had to leave the Army. It only got worse when I finally told him the name of the baby's father. He said he wants nothing to do with me for the rest of my life." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke. He gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair as her tears fell against his shirt.  
  
"Shh, don't worry; we'll be ok without him anyway. You've got my dad now. Come on; don't be upset, it's not good for the baby if you cry too much. Besides, we've got phone calls to make if you want to get married in just sixteen days from now. Oh, and look what I found in my room just before I woke you up," he said as he pulled back slightly and took a beautiful diamond engagement ring from his shirt pocket. "This was my mom's and I'd be honored if you would wear it."  
  
Oh, Hawkeye," she sniffled as she reached for the tissue in her purse. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you. You're right; we do have phone calls to make. 


	2. Wedding Plans

Thirteen days later

Thirteen days later

Hawkeye Pierce opened his front door and looked straight into the face of the best friend he'd ever had. "BJ, I'm so glad you could come," he told his friend just before pulling him into a tight embrace. "Hi, Peg," he smiled at her as he gave her a hug of her own before turning his gaze to the little girl in her arms. "Hey there, Erin, do you remember your Uncle Hawk?" he asked her as he held out his arms. She smiled and let him take her. "Of course you do," Hawkeye had met Peg and Erin at the airport in San Francisco on his way back from Korea. His plane had landed about an hour before BJ's. Peg had recognized him from the group picture at the family reunion and they had a nice chat while she waited for BJ. Hawkeye had left discreetly just before BJ arrived so they could reunite in private.

"So, Hawk, who is this woman you just have to marry with all of us present?" BJ asked as he waited to be invited in.

"Come on in, she can't wait to see all of you," Hawkeye said with a mischievous grin. "Oh, Sweetheart," he called up the stairs as he led his guests to the living room, "they're here."

"I'll be right down, Darling."

BJ Hunnicutt was instantly on his feet. "Was that who I think it was?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to believe that it was true.

Hawkeye didn't have to answer because Margaret flew down the stairs straight into BJ's arms. "Oh, BJ, I'm so glad you guys could come early. It's so great to see you again."

"Well, it's great to see you too," he answered. "But there is a little more of you than I expected to see. I take it that Hawk is responsible for there being so much of you?"

"Yes, he is. Now, introduce me to your lovely family."

"Peg, this is Major Margaret Houlihan, soon to be Mrs. Margaret Pierce. Margaret, this is Peg."

"Peg, it's great to finally meet you. I heard so much about you back in Korea. You and Erin are all BJ could talk about. With every letter that arrived, we heard about what was happening in Mill Valley and about Erin's newest accomplishments," then she turned to the little girl still in Hawkeye's arms. "Hello, Erin, I'm your Aunt Margaret. Oh, BJ, she's such a darling. Can I get you guys anything? Some lemonade or maybe some hot chocolate, I know it's still pretty cold out there."

"Some hot chocolate would be wonderful, Margaret, but don't go to any trouble on our account," BJ told her.

"She won't, I'll get it," Hawkeye said as he handed Erin back to her mother. "Sweetheart, show our guests to the guestroom. They can put away their things while I'm busy in the kitchen. All of you meet me at the table in about ten minutes and we'll talk about the wedding.

A few minutes later, BJ joined Hawkeye in the kitchen. "The women are trying to get Erin to take a nap. This is a nice house, Hawk, no wonder you wanted to come back to it so badly. So, I know that Colonel Potter and Mildred are coming tomorrow. He called me right after you talked to him; wanting to know if I could tell him who the bride is. I could honestly tell him I didn't have a clue and that we would both find out when we arrived in Maine. I can't say I'm too surprised. I know you two were getting pretty close those last few months. And that goodbye kiss was certainly something special. So, what do we need to do?"

"Well, the first thing you can do is agree to be my best man." Hawkeye told him sincerely.

"I'd be honored," his friend replied.

"We'd also like Erin to be our flower girl if you think she's old enough. She is so precious and I want her to be apart of our special day. I also believe that Margaret is asking Peg to be her Matron of Honor. Her sister is unable to come and since you and I are like brothers, that makes Peg our sister and Margaret hopes that their friendship becomes as close as ours. We're just having a small wedding party because Margaret doesn't have any close female friends here yet. So, it'll just be the five of us with everyone else in the audience."

"Who else is coming from Korea besides us and the Potters?" BJ asked.

Hawkeye thought a minute before answering, "Charles and his sister, Radar and his girlfriend Patty, Trapper and his wife Louise, and Sydney. We considered inviting Frank but decided not to add to his insanity and it seems that Klinger and Soon Lee have not yet returned from Korea. I know because I received a postcard from him two weeks ago saying that the search continues for Soon Lee's family.

The women chose that moment to enter the room. "She's asleep. So, are you two talking about us behind our backs?" The bride-to-be asked as she took a seat next to her fiancée.

"No, just outlining the wedding party. Oh, and Beej, no drinking the night before the wedding. I'm not letting you do anything to me like what we did to Donald," turning to Peg he asked, "Did we ever tell you what we did to Donald? We got so drunk, he passed out and we put him in a body cast from his chest to his ankles. Then we let them get all the way to Tokyo before we sent a telegram telling Margaret that it was a fake. I don't suppose you had too much trouble getting it off did you?" he asked her.

"Of course, I didn't. I told you guys we had a great couple of days, until that party of Lyle's. But let's not focus on that. Donald was a creep. You are wonderful to me and you are going to be a great father in a few months," she said as she kissed Hawkeye softly on the lips.

"Actually, he doesn't know this yet, but so is BJ," Peg said softly speaking up for the first time since entering the room. Three pairs of eyes turned to the young mother.

"What, when, are you sure?" was all BJ could sputter.

"Congratulations, you two. I bet Erin's going to be a great big sister," was Hawkeye's reply.

"Peg that's wonderful, I'm so glad," was Margaret's response.

"I only found out for sure on Monday. I was going to wait until everyone else was here but I couldn't hold it in any longer. I'm only about six weeks along so maybe you'll be able to visit soon after ours is born. I don't think I'll want to get back on a plane in three months. It was hard enough to do it today without getting sick."

"I know exactly what you mean. Every time I thought about coming here when I first found out, I knew I would be too nauseous. So, that's two people that won't be drinking at the reception. And we will definitely bring our baby to meet yours. I wouldn't want you to travel if you still weren't feeling well. Ben, would you help me make some phone calls in the den? We need to check on a couple of things."

"Um, ok," said a confused Hawkeye as he walked to the den with his fiancée. Once they got there and closed the door, he asked her, "All right, what's so important we have to leave our guests sitting at the kitchen table?"

"Just this," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a very passionate kiss. Once they broke away she added, "And BJ looked like he needed a minute alone with Peg. She did kind of surprise him there. We can rejoin them in a few minutes."

"Ok," he replied as he kissed her again, their guests momentarily forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day saw the wedding party making final preparations before the rest of their "family" from the 4077th arrived on Friday.

"Oh, Margaret, these dresses are beautiful and Erin is just adorable in hers," exclaimed Peg as the three of them were trying on their dresses in case of needed last-minute alterations. Peg's and Erin's were both a dark royal blue and Margaret's was a beautiful ivory with lots of lace. "So, are you and Hawkeye taking a romantic honeymoon?"

"How romantic of a honeymoon can you really have when you are six months pregnant? We are just going to stay here and take it easy. We'll go away somewhere better for an anniversary one year."

Meanwhile, Hawkeye and BJ were at the bakery down the street making sure the cake would be ready for pickup on Saturday morning. "So, any worries?" BJ asked his best friend as they finished their errand and left the shop.

"A few, but I'm sure we'll work through them together. Of course, you and I will probably be on the phone a lot. And since Toby Wilder's second son was born last month, I've got him to go to for advice too." Toby Wilder was a childhood friend of Hawkeye's that still lived in Crabapple Cove.

"Pick up the phone anytime. Of course, I missed going through a lot with Erin, but we can figure it all out together as we go along. I can't believe I'm going to be a father again already. She's been hiding morning sickness from me for a week so she could tell me after we got out here. I'm just so glad I will get to be with her and Erin for everything that happens with this little one.

"Me, too, Beej. Me, too," his friend replied. "Come on; let's see if the ladies are ready. It's almost lunch time and I'm getting hungry."

The Pierce household was very loud the next day with the impromptu reunion as everyone arrived for the wedding of Benjamin Franklin Pierce and Margaret Jane Houlihan. Most everyone was surprised by the identity of the bride-to-be. Everyone was happy for them and very excited about the coming baby. There was even more rejoicing when BJ announced his and Peg's news to everyone. And true to his word, Hawkeye did not touch one sip of alcohol the night before his wedding. He knew that with both BJ and Trapper around, he had to stay on his guard which meant staying sober.

Fortunately, the morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear. Unfortunately, the groom was nowhere to be found. Margaret was frantic with worry as they searched the house once again. "Where is he? He has to be here. Everything's ready and now he disappears. What are we going to do now?" She asked frantically to anyone who would listen as she nervously paced around the living room.

"Margaret, we'll find him," Colonel Potter told her, trying to calm her down. "BJ and Toby are out looking even as we speak. Peg, why don't you take her upstairs and settle her down."

"He's right Margaret; the guys will find him and straighten him out. Come on, let's go up and make sure your dress is ready," Peg took her by the arm and led her from the room.

Meanwhile, the missing doctor was at that moment sitting on a secluded area of the beach. He'd been out here all night contemplating his life and where it was going. He knew he loved Margaret and wanted to be with her and their baby. He knew that he wanted to be in Crabapple Cove practicing medicine for the people he grew up with. Right now he just felt he needed some time alone.

He was remembering the past three years. He remembered how beautiful he had thought she was on the first day he saw her. He was amazed at the contempt she showed for him. He came to understand why. He was a draftee who hated the war and everything it stood for. She was regular army and was very proud to be serving her country in such an important way. Sure, he played tricks on her and Frank back then. Mostly they did it to relieve the boredom of waiting for the next wave of casualties.

Even back then he knew he cared about her. He couldn't tell her because of her affair with Frank that no one was supposed to know about but everyone did anyway. They did start to become friends after that trip to the aid station. He was really surprised when she requested that he be the one to remove her appendix. Of course, that was because even she knew how incompetent Frank Burns was. He thought their friendship might be starting to turn into something really special for awhile there. Then, she came back from Tokyo and announced her engagement to Donald Penobscot. He couldn't believe that she would go and get engaged to someone that quickly. He tried to be happy for her but found it kind of hard to suppress his anger. She hadn't even given him a chance. But, he was her friend and he stood by her.

Of course, he did a little more than standing that night in the abandoned hut. But, then he messed that up the next day and they went back to being friends once again. He was very supportive of her when she decided she had to divorce Donald. He felt really bad for her but elated for himself. He hoped that she might turn to him as something more than a friend. They were slowly working toward that end when everything fell apart after July the Fourth. He was gone for a couple of weeks and then when he was finally able to come back, the war ended and everyone had to go home. He had gone to her tent that last night to say goodbye to her in private. He really thought they would only talk. Fortunately, they did more than that and six months later he was marrying the woman of his dreams.

He finally looked down at his watch and smiled. He stood up and brushed the sand from his shorts. He had just enough time to get back and put on his tux. In just a few more hours they would be Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Pierce.


End file.
